Gas turbine engines are essentially simple devices having only three parts: a compressor, a combustion area, and a turbine. Applications of such engines are well known, for example, in jet engines on commercial and military aircraft, the propulsion system for M-1 tanks, and small industrial power plants. Depending on the application of the gas turbine engine, the turbine can be used to produce thrust, rotate a drive shaft, or rotate a generator to produce electricity. Devices such as wave rotors have been used in an attempt to improve the efficiency and the output of gas turbine engines. Most applications of gas turbine engines are very large in scale and not until recent innovations in mechanical and electrical manufacturing systems, and nanotechnology, have gas turbine engines been able to be produced in a smaller scale. Although gas turbine engines may be produced at a micro scale, such engines are not efficient and are not very typical.
A known micro wave rotor configuration is briefly disclosed in K. Okamoto and T. Nagashima, “A Simple Numerical Approach of Micro Wave Rotor Gasdynamic Design,” American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, ISABE 2003-1213 (2003). It is believed that this axial configuration has a wave rotor channel length of about 6.9 centimeters or greater. The intended manufacturing techniques for the Okamoto design, however, are not disclosed in this publication. Therefore, what is needed is a device and methods that will improve the efficiency and practicality of micro scale gas turbine engines. Furthermore, a device and methods that will improve the efficiency and practicality of micro scale gas turbine engines would be desirable.